


Perception Check

by heyjupiter



Series: Citizens For a A Thanos-Free Universe [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, Multi, Polyamory, Science Bros
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-08
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2020-01-06 15:35:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18391277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyjupiter/pseuds/heyjupiter
Summary: When Pepper wants to join the Avengers' D&D party, Bruce is happy to help her create a character. But after getting an upsetting message from Dr. Strange, Bruce will need assistance from both Pepper and Tony to get his head back in the game.





	Perception Check

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to volunteerfd for beta reading! 
> 
> This is a fill for the "Pepper Potts" square on my [Science Bros Bingo card](https://twentyghosts.tumblr.com/sciencebrosbingo)!
> 
> This is also a direct sequel (or more of an epilogue) to my story [Critical Hit](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15213962). In case you haven't read Critical Hit (I don't blame you, it's long), or you have read it but would like a refresher (I don't blame you, I wrote it like a year ago), here's a quick recap of Critical Hit:
> 
> Three months after Thor and the Asgardian refugees dropped Bruce off at the Avengers compound, Peter Parker asked Bruce to DM a game of D&D. Bruce and Tony both sublimated a lot of repressed emotions into planning the game, which ended up being interrupted by a drop-in from Dr. Strange, who gave Bruce the upsetting news that he bore mysterious leftover traces of Loki's magic. Still: the party eventually managed to successfully complete their first adventure, with Pepper arriving home from her business trip just in time to observe their victory with interested confusion.
> 
> And two weeks later, here we are:

"Hey, Bruce, mind if I join you?” 

Bruce looked up from his book and saw Pepper standing at the entrance of the common room. She was dressed casually, in yoga pants and a hoodie stolen from Tony, but her smile was luminous. He smiled back and replied, “Of course.”

She settled next to him on the sofa and kissed his cheek. "If you'd rather be alone, you can just tell me, you know."

"I will. But I'm happy you're here." 

Bruce had fallen for Tony first, with his brash boldness, for the fearless way he treated Bruce. Tony had inexplicably believed in Bruce when no one else did, not even Bruce, and Bruce would always love him for that. 

But he quickly came to love Pepper, too, for her gentle thoughtfulness. Pepper was careful with Bruce, not for fear of unleashing the Other Guy, but simply because she cared about Bruce's feelings. It had taken Bruce longer to accept that.

Since Bruce had returned from Sakaar, he'd been overwhelmed by how much Tony and Pepper had apparently missed him. Before he had—Hulk had—left for Sakaar, things had started to fall apart between them. First Bruce had splintered apart from their triad, and apparently Tony and Pepper had broken up, too, while he'd been away. But they'd reunited and been pleased to welcome Bruce back. They'd had two years to miss him; Bruce's emotional wounds from Sokovia still felt fresh to him after what were effectively two years trapped in mental stasis. But they'd been patient with him (especially Pepper) and insistent with him (especially Tony) and he was finally starting to feel happier and more settled with them, although it was still hard for him to believe it wasn’t all a dream from which he’d soon have to wake. 

Pepper eyed the empty mug on the table in front of him. “Looks like you got up early. Everything okay?”

“Oh, fine. Just woke up early.” 

“I didn’t hear you leave.”

“Good, you deserve to sleep in when you get the chance.” Bruce couldn’t help but feel guilty whenever his nightmares bothered anyone else, though Tony and Pepper both insisted they didn’t mind. Bruce still kept his own separate bedroom and sometimes preferred to sleep alone, despite the comforts his partners could provide in their California king bed. 

Pepper stretched. “It’s nice to have the day off, at least until something new and urgent comes up.”

“Tony’s still asleep?”

“Yeah, probably will be for awhile based on his snoring.”

Bruce smiled shyly. “I guess we did keep him up pretty late last night.” 

Pepper’s returning smile was wicked. “Mm, I guess we did.”

It had been a confusing adjustment for Bruce to find himself back in his puny human form after so long, but Pepper and Tony, as always, had endless creativity and patience for him. Last night had been the best sex he’d had since his return, maybe ever. Afterward Bruce had slept like a rock, unbothered by dreams. 

Pepper gestured at the book still open in his lap. "So what are you reading?"

"Oh, it's, uh, a medical textbook about spinal cord injuries."

"Oh," she said, her tone sympathetic.

"Tony's been asking me to help with Rhodey's braces and everything, but it's not my area of expertise, and what Tony's already done is so far ahead of what the last cutting edge was…" Bruce trailed off with a sigh. All he wanted to do was help people, and it seemed like he couldn’t even do that right now.

Pepper reached out and covered one of Bruce's hands with her own. "Any chance I could persuade you to look at something else?"

"Easily."

"Well," Pepper said, and paused. The catch in her voice made Bruce realize that she was nervous about whatever she was going to say next. It had taken him so long to understand that Pepper and Tony sometimes felt unsure, too; they both always seemed so confident to him. But he’d eventually learned their tells; Pepper grew more and more deliberate with her speech until she snapped, while Tony got increasingly flippant until he collapsed. Bruce closed his book and smiled encouragingly at Pepper. 

She smiled back and continued, "It's just—remember a couple weeks ago, when I came home and you guys were all playing Dungeons and Dragons?"

"Of course."

"And we said that maybe next time I could play too?"

"Oh, you don't have to…" Bruce had assumed Pepper was only expressing polite interest in the geeky game.

"I think it would be fun! If you wouldn't mind helping me set up a character and all that."

"I wouldn't mind at all. It just...doesn't seem like your kind of thing?"

"Are you saying girls can't play Dungeons and Dragons?"

"No, of course you can! It's just, I mean, it's kind of silly, and I know you don't like Lord of the Rings and all that stuff..."

"Well, your game seemed a lot more fun than _Lord of the Rings_ ," Pepper said, her voice dripping with disdain for the epic fantasy franchise she'd once called "ten hours of walking that feels like twenty." 

"Thanks. I know that's a really high bar for you," Bruce said drily.

"Mm-hmm, very high praise." Pepper's voice softened and she added, "Bruce, the thing is...when you guys were playing, it was the most I've heard you talk since...since you got back."

"I talk," Bruce protested. "We're talking now."

"No, I know, and I didn't mean it as a criticism. It's just...it's just nice to hear your voice, is all."

Pepper’s sweetly plaintive statement made Bruce squirm. He'd always thought that if he just kept to himself, he wouldn't be bothering anyone. It was hard to remember that his _absence_ bothered people now. "Okay, well, sure, of course, I'd be happy to help you set up a character. Do...do you want to start this morning?"

"I thought you'd never ask. What do I need to get started?"

"If you get your tablet, I can send you a fillable character sheet. Or we can print one out if you'd rather go old school."

"I'll get my tablet. Save a tree." Pepper squeezed Bruce's knee and kissed his cheek before she rose from the couch. "I'll be right back."

“Do you want some coffee?”

“Oh! Please.”

Bruce brought his empty mug to the kitchen. He filled the kettle and put it on the stove, then turned to get the French press down from a cabinet. But instead, he found himself falling through darkness. He didn’t have time to cry out before he found himself in an old-fashioned formal parlor. Somehow he was already seated in a high-backed wooden chair. 

“Ah, Dr. Banner, thanks for joining me,” Dr. Strange said. He was sitting on a matching chair, across an elaborately lacquered table from Bruce. 

Bruce blinked at the wizard who’d crashed their D&D game two weeks ago to inform Bruce that he’d been touched by “dark magic.” Bruce wrapped his arms around himself, took a deep breath, and said, “You shouldn’t startle me. It’s dangerous.”

“You’re perfectly safe here.”

“It’s dangerous for _you_.”

“Oh, no, I don’t think you’re going to hurt me, either of you. Tea?”

“No, thanks, I—can I use your phone? They, uh, people will worry if I’m missing…” Bruce’s tablet was still in the common room, and he rarely carried his cell phone around at the compound; he lived with almost everyone he’d ever want to talk to. 

“I don’t have a phone, but you’ve nothing to worry about. I’ll have you back before any time has passed.”

Bruce sighed, attempting to acclimate himself to another new weirdness in his life. At least he’d gotten dressed this morning. He pressed his palms against his khaki-clad thighs in an attempt to ground himself. “Okay, why not? I love to break the time-space continuum before breakfast.”

“Oh, it’s not breaking, just stretching it a little. Sure you won’t have any tea?”

“Oh, uh…” Bruce looked down to find a steaming mug was already in his hand. “Thanks?”

Dr. Strange nodded once. “Now. I’ve been researching the magical traces I felt on you before. I admit, I hoped you would have called on me earlier. I don’t issue invitations to my Sanctum Sanctorum lightly.”

“It, um, I was going to, but…” 

Strange’s visit had intrigued Bruce, but he could tell it had scared Tony, and Tony covered his fear with anger and his anger with jokes. Bruce hadn’t wanted to make the trip into the city by himself, and he hadn’t been sure how Tony would respond to the request. Besides, it had only been a few weeks. He had managed to chat with Val and Thor, who both assured him that Loki hadn’t had had much time alone with Bruce. But, as Dr. Strange had demonstrated, a magic user might not need very much time at all to cause trouble for Bruce. 

Strange raised an eyebrow and said, “I understand, being an unemployed Avenger keeps your schedule pretty full.”

Bruce winced at that assessment of his life. “Well, I’m here now, so…what’s wrong with me? Can you fix it?” He sipped the tea. It was ginger tea, with a strong, spicy kick.

A large book appeared in front of Dr. Strange, floating a few inches above the table. It looked like a prop from a Harry Potter movie, and Bruce bit back a laugh. 

“Nothing’s wrong with you. It would just be preferable if I could remove these traces of Loki’s magic from you.”

“Okay, so...can you please do that?”

“Keep drinking that tea.”

“The tea? Is it magic tea?” Bruce peered into the cup curiously.

“No, but it’s ginger tea. This is a very simple process but it might...cause some light nausea, and the ginger should help counteract it. I’d really prefer it if you didn’t vomit on my carpet. Or on me.”

“Oh. Me, too.” Bruce sipped his tea and looked around the room. “So, is this, um, you collect...magic stuff, or...what?”

“I protect these artifacts, many of which possess magical power, yes.”

“Did they come with the house, or…?”

“I am not the first guardian of this Sanctum, no.”

“Okay. Did, um, did you go to—“

“Hogwarts isn’t real.”

“I wasn’t going to say Hogwarts,” Bruce protested. “I just wondered how you...got into...this line of work?”

“It’s a very long story that I simply don’t have time to tell you. Finish your tea so we can get started.”

Bruce took a gulp of tea and set his teacup on the table, where it promptly disappeared. Strange leaned forward and held two trembling hands close to Bruce’s face. For all Strange’s bravado, he was still scared of Bruce, or of whatever he was about to do to Bruce. Yet he admonished Bruce, “Just relax.”

Bruce balled his hands into fists and closed his eyes. He focused on his breathing. In, out. In, out. In—he froze when he felt the touch of Strange’s magic in his mind. 

“Breathe out, Dr. Banner. You’re doing fine. Hmm. Hmm.”

“Hmm? Hmm what?” Strange ignored him and kept pressing around the edges of Bruce’s mind. Bruce expected Hulk to react, but the Other Guy remained quiet. “Ah! God, that’s weird,” Bruce said. 

“Please let me know if you need to vomit.”

“No, it’s not...it’s just…” Bruce trailed off. He felt a spike of cold in his mind that set off a full-body shiver. 

“Ah. That should do it,” Strange said. He sounded very pleased with himself.

Bruce blinked. He experimentally poked around his mind. It still felt empty. “Are you sure you’re done?”

“Yes.”

“But...I still don’t hear anything from the Other Guy.”

“Who?”

“The...the Hulk. I thought you said that this whatever magic thing was why it’s messed up with me and Hulk?”

“No, you asked if Loki’s magic might be the cause of your problem, and I said it _might_ be. Turns out it’s not.”

“Well...what caused it, then?” 

Strange laughed. “I don’t know. I don’t think I’m the kind of doctor you need for that. There are plenty of good therapists in New York.”

“Oh…”

“The good news is, you’re clean of magic.”

“What was it? The, uh, magic?”

With a dismissive gesture, Strange replied, “Like I told you before, it was a healing charm. It left traces in your mind, but they weren’t active. If any other magic user had done it, I probably wouldn’t have noticed. But since it was Loki, well...his signature tends to draw my attention.”

“Huh. So does this mean you’re not going to crash any more D&D games?”

“Not unless Loki himself joins your game.”

“I don’t think that’ll be happening. But we’re playing again next Sunday...if you do decide to drop in, maybe you could use the front door?”

Strange smiled. “Who has that kind of time?” He made a complicated hand gesture and Bruce found himself back in the Avengers compound kitchen before he could even thank Dr. Strange for whatever he had done. The water on the stove hadn’t even started to boil. 

Suddenly, Bruce was hit by the nausea Strange had warned him about. He braced his hands on the sink and counted out breaths. The feeling passed by the time the kettle whistled. Still, he dug some ginger tea out of the cupboard instead of his usual green. He poured water in his mug and into the French press. He kept counting breaths as he waited for the drinks to be ready. 

Pepper entered the kitchen, her tablet in one hand. “Mm, smells good.”

Bruce threw his arms around her in a tight hug. 

Sounding surprised but pleased, Pepper said, “Oh! What’s this for?”

“Just good to see you,” Bruce mumbled into her shoulder. She squeezed her arms around him and waited for Bruce to pull away first, which he did, reluctantly, when Pepper’s coffee was ready. He poured it into a mug with a splash of almond milk, just the way she liked it. He handed it to her and hoped he sounded normal when he said, “So, uh, you want to get started on your character, then?”

“Let’s!”

They returned to the common room and settled on the couch.

“Have you thought about what kind of character you’d like to be?”

“No, what are the options?”

Bruce showed her the list of character classes. “Um. Tony’s a wizard, Rhodey’s a fighter, Peter’s a paladin, and Ned’s a bard, so it would probably be better if you were something else? But, uh, we can make it work if you want to be one of those.”

“What’s the difference between a wizard and a sorcerer?”

“Um, basically, a wizard is someone who learns magic from books, and a sorcerer is someone born to magic.”

“Ooh, I’ll do that!”

“Perfect. So...your first decisions are what race you want to be, and also what the source of your magic is, like if it’s dragon blood or wild magic or, well, anything off this page.”

Pepper considered her options carefully, and together they had nearly finished creating her lawful good dragonborn sorcerer when Tony wandered into the common room. He was wearing plaid pajama pants and a black tank top. His hair was still mussed from sleep, but it looked like it had been artfully styled. Bruce bit back a sigh. Pepper and Tony both looked like athleisure models in their casual clothes; Bruce just looked like...Bruce.

Still, Tony’s face lit up with a smile when he spotted Pepper and Bruce. And, although there was space on the sofa next to Pepper, he settled on the arm of the sofa next to Bruce. Tony kissed Bruce on the cheek and asked, “What have you two been up to without me?”

Pepper held up her tablet. “Meet Sora Delmirev.”

Tony squinted at it. “You’re hiring a new assistant?”

“No, she’s my D&D character!”

Tony sighed. “I swear we used to be cool.”

“Oh, no, I was never cool,” Bruce said. 

“I mean, by association...you must be at least a little cool?” Tony suggested. “When you consider how cool I am.”

“I’m pretty cool-resistant.”

“Pretty irresistible,” Tony corrected. He ran his fingers through Bruce’s curls. 

Pepper cleared her throat. “Hey, I think I’m almost done with this, except the skills proficiencies part? Tony, if you could stop distracting our dungeon master for two seconds…”

“I really can’t get over how much sexier ‘dungeon master’ sounds than it actually is,” Tony mused.

Bruce laughed, then ignored Tony and helped Pepper finish her character sheet. “There. Now you’re all set for next Sunday.”

“Thanks, Bruce! I love her.”

“I think she’ll be a great addition to the party.”

Tony sighed. “Hey, that weird wizard guy isn’t coming again next week, is he?”

“Oh, no, I don’t think so,” Bruce said quickly. 

“Weird wizard guy? I thought Tony was the wizard.”

“Remember, Pepper, we told you? This weird wizard guy appeared in the middle of our game and told Bruce he had traces of dark magic on him?”

“Oh, yeah. But Bruce, that sounded kind of serious, don’t you think you should let him help you, if Loki did something to you?”

“Pff, Bruce doesn’t need help from a guy with a fancy red cape.”

“Said the guy with the fancy red armor,” Pepper said with an eye roll. “Bruce, really, maybe you should call him. Bruce? What’s wrong?”

Bruce sighed and wished he had developed a better poker face. “Oh...uh...just...he already, um, fixed it.”

“What? When?” Tony asked. 

“Um, this morning.”

“Why didn’t you say anything before?” Pepper asked. 

“It just happened so fast…”

“Did he hurt you?” Tony asked. 

“No, no…”

“Then what’s wrong?” Pepper asked. 

Bruce wrapped his arms around himself. Pepper put a hand on his knee and Tony started rubbing Bruce’s shoulders. Bruce took a deep breath. “It’s just...well...what if I...what if the Hulk is gone?” 

“What? Did Dr. Strange do something to the big green guy?” Tony asked. “Or Loki?”

“No, but...just, ever since I’ve been back...you know, he’s been so quiet in my head. And Dr. Strange said maybe that was because of Loki, but then he fixed Loki’s thing and Hulk is still the same, gone.”

“You haven’t even tried to Hulk out since you got back, though, have you?” Tony asked. 

Bruce shook his head. Even before Sakaar, he’d never been one to practice with the rest of the team, despite Tony’s occasional suggestions. And since he’d returned, there hadn’t been any emergencies big enough to call for a Code Green. Bruce had tried to put it out of his mind, to welcome the respite from worrying so much about an accidental transformation. But Strange’s dismissal had forced Bruce to acknowledge the issue. 

“I just…I don’t know. I don’t know if he’d come. And if he did, I...I don’t know if he’d ever let me come back.” That’s what Bruce’s nightmares usually were now, an endless blur of green.

“Well, Bruce, isn’t...isn’t that kind of what you wanted?” Pepper asked softly. “Didn’t you want to find a way to...cure the Hulk?”

“I...used to.”

“I’m sorry, I guess I don’t understand,” Pepper said. “You’re home safe. Isn’t that all that matters?”

Bruce looked up at Tony, who licked his lips and nodded. “I think I get it. It’s…” he trailed off and tapped his chest plate, which glowed faintly beneath his tank top. “You’d hate to lose the choice.”

“Yeah,” Bruce said softly. For too long, Hulk had robbed Bruce of other choices. Bruce could see the irony in his current situation; he could even almost find it funny. 

“Okay, well...we’ll figure something out,” Tony said confidently. “Just because _Dr. Strange_ , if that’s even his real name, couldn’t figure it out doesn’t mean it’s impossible. I didn’t realize that you were worried about that.”

“I mean, don’t the Avengers need Hulk?”

Tony shrugged. “The Avengers could certainly use Hulk sometimes, if he chose to make an appearance. The Avengers could get by without him if we had to. We did for the last few years. But _we_ ,” he gestured at himself and Pepper, “need Bruce.”

“Really?”

“Bruce, of course,” Pepper said firmly. 

“It’s just...you two have each other, and...I...I don’t know. It feels weird to be at the Avengers compound if I’m not an Avenger anymore.”

“I’m not an Avenger,” Pepper said. “I never was.”

“I know, but Pepper, you’re so...important.”

“And just what do you think you are?” Pepper asked. 

Bruce bit his lip and looked down at his hands, which he was anxiously twisting together.

“Of course you’re important!” Pepper exclaimed. 

“And of course we need you,” Tony said. 

“It seemed like you guys got by fine without me,” Bruce mumbled. 

“We got by okay without you, but we’re so much better with you,” Pepper said, with a toss of her ponytail.

“We had to get by. _You’re_ the one who left _us_ , remember?”

“I…” Bruce started. He’d meant to say that he hadn’t meant to stay away so long, which was true. But even before Hulk had hijacked him to Sakaar, Bruce had pulled away from them. He’d been so afraid that they would come to their senses and leave him, that he’d managed to convince himself that being with Natasha made more sense. He’d hurt them before they could have a chance to hurt him. “I’m sorry. I’m dumb.”

Simultaneously, Tony said, fondly, “Yeah, super dumb,” and Pepper said, fiercely, “No, you’re not.”

“I just...it’s just still hard for me to believe,” Bruce confessed. “That you guys...would really want me around?”

Tony slid off the arm of the couch and perched on Bruce’s lap. Bruce tucked his arms to his sides and tried to relax enough to enjoy the feeling of Tony’s body pressed up against his. Tony leaned in even closer and, directly into Bruce’s ear, said, “I just don’t know how to get it through your stupid, beautiful head. I love you, Bruce. We both love you and we always want you around. You’re the one who’s always pulling away from us, hiding on the roof deck or squirreled away in the lab or just mentally checked out.”

Bruce slipped off his reading glasses and nestled into Tony’s shoulder, breathing in his clean, sharp scent. “I’m sorry, Tony.” Pepper put her arm around Bruce’s shoulders and leaned into his other side. Bruce could have felt trapped, overwhelmed by so much contact; instead, he felt secure. Loved. “Pepper, I’m sorry.”

“Bruce, you don’t need to apologize,” Pepper said, her voice close to Bruce’s ear. “I know things have been hard for you. But...well, I know you need time to adjust to everything, but I wonder if you’d consider making an appointment with a therapist? Tony and I have both found really great therapists...very discreet…very understanding of...unusual circumstances.”

Bruce hesitated, and Pepper said, “Would you just think about it? It...it might help you feel better about...everything?”

“Okay, yeah,” Bruce agreed. “I’ll think about it…” He had thought about it before—it wasn’t exactly a newsflash that Bruce was screwed up in the head. He’d just worried that the types of difficult conversations therapists encouraged might bring out the Other Guy. But maybe that wasn’t a problem now? Or maybe that _was_ the problem. ...Maybe a therapist would Skype him.

Pepper smiled. “Good. I’ll send you a list of options to look at. When you’re ready.”

“Hey, you know what else might help you feel better, not to mention help you understand how much Pepper and I need you?” Tony asked, his voice now a seductive purr. 

Bruce let out a shy laugh. Tony thought all problems could be solved by either technology or sex (or occasionally, both at once). The thing was, he was usually right. 

Tony traced Bruce’s cheek with a finger and continued, “C’mon, I’ve been out of bed for a solid ten minutes, why don’t we go get back in it? Ooh, we can roleplay if you nerds want. Maybe Sara Whatever can come out to play. What’s hotter than having a dragon in bed?”

“Sora Delmirev is a dragonborn, not a dragon,” Pepper murmured. “It’s different.”

“Mm, see, it still sounds so sexy when you say it.”

Pepper checked her phone quickly, then traced her fingers up Bruce’s arm. “My schedule is still miraculously free. What do you want to do, Bruce?”

Bruce took a moment to consider. He knew it was a real question; since they’d gotten together the first time, the three of them had always agreed that they were allowed to pair off if any one of them were busy (usually Pepper) or uninterested (usually Bruce). If he said no, he knew Tony would eventually respect it. While he was thinking, Tony started nuzzling Bruce’s neck and gently nipping at his earlobe, exactly how Bruce liked. 

“Yeah, I, yes, let’s go,” Bruce managed. “God, Tony…”

“Mm, good, my wand is ready.”

Pepper snorted. “Tony, I can’t believe you called _us_ nerds.”

“I’m just following your lead,” Tony said, his tone mock-innocent. He climbed off Bruce’s lap and tugged Bruce’s hand. Bruce laughed. He stood and pulled Pepper off the couch after him, and the three of them set off down the hallway to their bedroom, still laughing. It would take Bruce more time to understand why Tony and Pepper loved him, but the fact that they did was nothing short of magical.


End file.
